“From Double Shock to Double Recovery” is a discussion paper series that offers analyses of most recent trends and outlooks on government health spending in a time of successive global shocks. Papers of this series also explore health financing options that policymakers can pursue to put their countries on a new pandemic proof trajectory to attain the health SDGs.
The first outlook was published in March 2021 at the height of the COVID-19 crisis and included a comprehensive review of health financing options to maintain or increase health investments during macroeconomic downturns. A technical update, “Widening Rifts,” followed in September 2021, and a second update, “Old Scars, New Wounds,” in September 2022.
The June 2023 paper, “Strong Advance, Early Retreat,” provides a first, comprehensive analysis of government health spending trends in developing countries during the past three years of successive economic shocks (2019 to 2022).